Wait…. [Redacted] has what for hands in BATMAN V SUPERMAN?!

Warning: This post contains some completely unverified speculation/rumours but which may still be considered potential SPOILERS about the status of one particular character in Batman v Superman: Dawn of SPOILERS if it turns out to be true. Read with caution.

There’s a lot about Batman v Superman that we don’t know for certain yet, most of it revolving around Lex Luthor’s evil plans – because it’s Lex Luthor, you just know he has some! – and the threat that would more than likely require Batman and Superman to stop trying to rearrange each other’s facial features and instead team up with Wonder Woman (and maybe even bring in the entire Justice League). There has been one persistent rumour that provides that threat courtesy of an already established character.

According to the rumour we reported on last year already, Luthor has taken possession of the corpse of Michael Shannon’s General Zod – last seen being given the world’s worst chiropractic session at the hands of Superman – and is experimenting on it to try and find a way to beat his big blue nemesis. But during his experimentation though, something unexpected happens involving some latent Kryptonian genetic virus in Zod’s DNA, accidentally resurrecting the general as an unstoppable beast of destruction known as Doomsday i.e. that bony creature that killed Superman in the comics years ago (he got better). Since it’s going to take the combined might of our three heroes to take Doomsday down, this also means that in a way, Luthor accidentally creates the Justice League.

It’s a nice bit of irony and actually a decent way to get the monstrous Doomsday into the story, but it was all still speculation until the last trailer rolled around and showed us a very clear shot of Zod’s corpse being bagged up and taken somewhere (possibly by Luthor).

This would now make it official that Zod is in fact in the movie in some capacity, a fact that Michael Shannon himself has now finally confirmed while speaking to Vulture. But as he recounted an anecdote of being trapped in a Porta Potty on the BvS set, he has also confirmed that his character will have some sort of physical change. But it may not be the one you’re expecting.

“I was in my costume, and I couldn’t use my fingers because in the sequel I have flippers instead of hands. So I had these wax flippers on my fingers, and I couldn’t open the door, and I could hear Zack [Snyder, the director] being like, ‘Where’s Shannon? Where the fuck is he?’ and the whole crew was standing around. I was like, knocking on the door with my flippers, ‘Let me out of here!’

[The craft-service guy, who doesn’t have the best craft service] was actually paying attention to what was going on. He came over and he opened the door for me. Otherwise I would have gotten fired.”

Flippers? FLIPPERS?! Is Zod being transformed into this movie universe’s version of Oswald Cobblepot aka the Penguin?! Is Aquaman playing some kind of weird Atlantean prank on him? WTF is going on?!

Now it could be that what Shannon is referring to as “flippers” may in fact just be some kind of prosthetic like the ones normally used to block out actors’ body parts so that they can be replaced with CG elements later. Like say, having his normal hands replaced with Doomsday’s bony claws.

Or he really has flippers and this movie has suddenly taken a very quick turn into Wackoville. For his part, Shannon wouldn’t elaborate further on his story, but when pressed about his appearance in the trailer he revealed that he hasn’t actually seen any of it.

“Well, I haven’t seen the trailer either, so I don’t know what I am in the trailer. I could be a toaster, or a Porsche, I don’t know.”

Flippers… a toaster… a Porsche… Is Michael Shannon on some very strong pharmaceuticals or is this just the weirdest bit of fan-trolling ever? We’re just going to have to wait and see, I guess.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is scheduled for release on March 25, 2016.

A man of many passions - but very little sleep - I've been geeking out over movies, video games, comics, books, anime, TV series and lemon meringues as far back as I can remember. So show up for the geeky insight, stay for the delicious pastries.

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